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IN THIS ISSUE





American College of Surgeons Acts on Interoperability & Regulatory Burdens
MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Wednesday, March 21
Physician Member Collegiality Dinner: Gaithersburg

Tuesday, March 27
Practice Management Networking Social at Stanford Grill in Rockville

Wednesday, April 11
Physician Member Collegiality Dinner: Bethesda

Sunday, June 3
NCPF Foundation Fundraiser & MCMS Installation of Officers
Save the Date!
ADVOCACY ALERTS
TORT ALERT: Contact Your Legislators to Oppose HB1581!

HB 1581 repeals the "20% Rule", which ensures that parties in a medical malpractice case use practicing professionals rather than witnesses whose main source of income is derived from testifying in these cases. Please contact your legislator and urge them to OPPOSE HB1581 or SUPPORT WITH AMENDMENT!

After years of relative stability, the full repeal of the "20% Rule" will increase frivolous claims and have an overall negative impact on the medical liability market.

Thanks to MedChi's Legislative Center, you can send a pre-drafted email to all your legislators in one easy step. Contact them now!
CONNECT WITH US
The MCMS mission is to be  the foremost physician organization to advocate for and serve physicians, their medical practices, and their patients in Montgomery County, Maryland.
 Please Weigh In on Gun Violence Prevention & the Medical Society's RoleGunControl
Your Montgomery County Medical Society Executive Board has been asked to consider the issue of gun violence prevention. We welcome your input as the leadership considers various actions.

Thus far, 110 of your fellow physician members have responded. The average time to respond is just 2 minutes.

Please complete this survey only one time - either  online or   by fax. Respond by Monday, 3/19/18, at 12 noon. If you prefer to fax,  use this form and submit to 301.921.4368. 
What Do Patients Think About Rising Health Care Costs?patientsurvey
The Physicians Foundation published its second biennial Patient Survey last week, revealing that while an overwhelming majority of patients are satisfied with their primary care physician, they fear the rising cost of healthcare and its potential impacts on their health. Who do they blame? Pharmaceutical companies. 

3/27 Practice Management Networking Social at Stanford Grill in Rockvillenetworkingsocial
MCMS practice managers are invited to join us for a fun evening of networking, drinks, and food at Stanford Grill! Meet new practice managers working in the area and extend your professional network. Connect with your peers, discuss best practices, get new ideas and suggestions from your colleagues. Don't forget to bring plenty of business cards!

Bring a Colleague! You're invited to bring a fellow practice manager, to share the value of membership in MCMS & MedChi!
Physician Collegiality Dinners: Don't Forget to Reserve Your Seat! dinner
In place of our usual Winter General Membership Meeting, MCMS invites you to attend one of our PHYSICIAN COLLEGIALITY DINNERS. It's a chance to congregate, commiserate, collaborate, and celebrate with each other!  We are going back to the basics of physician collegiality where sharing cases and supporting each other was the norm. When mutual respect and understanding was key to your success and professional satisfaction.

Please Note: Seats are filling fast! RSVP today to reserve your space.

2 Remaining Dates & Locations:
  • Wed., 3.21.18, 6PM Copper Canyon Grill, 100 Boardwalk Place, Gaithersburg
  • Wed., 4.11.18, 6PM Mon Ami Gabi, 7239 Woodmont Ave, Bethesda
You may only attend ONE dinner. There is no cost to attend for active physician members. Emeritus members and prospective members may attend for $50, and are asked to  submit this form to RSVP.
Important Compliance Updates & Deadlines: MIPS, Records Fees & Morecompliance
Quality Payment Program MIPS Deadline: March 31, 2018
The performance data your practice collected during 2017 must be submitted to CMS by March 31, 2018. The first payment adjustments, based on this data will go into effect on January 1, 2019. The payment adjustments can be positive or negative. 

If you need help navigating MIPS, the AMA has provided an online resource, Understanding Medicare's Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), that you may find helpful. Members are encouraged to contact Colleen George at MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, with questions about the deadline. She can be reached at cgeorge@medchi.org or 410.539.0872 ext. 3360.

Updated Medical Records Fees, as of January 2018
In Maryland, how much practices may charge for medical records copying fees is tied to the Consumer Price Index. Please note:  Federal HIPAA regulations do not allow a charge for a preparation fee for records provided directly to the patient.   Click here to download our update guidance regarding copying fees. 

New Medicare Cards Arrive Starting April 1, 2018
The new Medicare card is a result of MACRA's requirement that CMS issue Medicare cards that do not display Social Security Numbers to address the risk of beneficiary identity theft.  New Medicare cards will be issued beginning in April 2018 and physician offices must be prepared to accept the new Medicare identification number at that time. T he new Medicare cards will significantly impact physician practices' workflows.

Resources:
Maryland's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Querying Requirements Begin July 1, 2018
For full details on querying requirements, visit MedChi's Querying Timeline (it's printable!) or access MedChi's full PDMP knowledge base: www.medchi.org/PrescriptionDrugMonitoringProgram.

Beginning July 1, 2018 a prescriber must: 
  1. request at least the prior 4 months of a patient's prescription monitoring data before initiating a course of treatment for the patient that includes prescribing or dispensing an opioid or benzodiazepine; 
  2. request a patient's prescription monitoring data at least every 90 days until the course of treatment that includes an opioid or benzodiazepine has ended; and 
  3. assess the prescription monitoring data before deciding whether to prescribe or dispense or continue to prescribe or dispense an opioid or benzodiazepine 
As of July 1, 2018 prescribers also must document in the patient's medical record that the prescription monitoring data was requested and assessed. 

MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, encourages members to consider DrFirst's PDMP workflow tool, which provides faster access and help with compliance. Find out more.
American College of Surgeons Acts on Interoperability & Regulatory BurdensACS
The American College of Surgeons shared news this week that they were acting aggressively to address health policy challenges facing physicians and patients in 2018. They have already, in response to a US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) request, has provided a detailed list of regulatory burdens which should be removed or reduced in the interest of better care.Their Health Policy and Advocacy Group and Board of Regents recommended more than 40 key issues, including:
To read more about their ongoing advocacy efforts, click here.
Montgomery County Medical Society    |   info@montgomerymedicine.org  |    301.921.4300